Galaxy

A vast "island universe" of stars, gas, and dust. The universe may contain 100 billion or more galaxies. Galactic size and structure range from dwarfs and irregulars with no discernible structure and only a few million stars to giant spirals and ellipticals that span 100,000 light-years or more and contain hundreds of billions of stars. Galaxies clump together in web-like structures. Despite its great luminosity, most of a galaxy's mass consists of dark matter, which produces no detectable energy.